Too Different
by 3ohGLEE
Summary: Rose and Scorpius begin their 5th year as complete enemies. Will prefect duties, a game of truth or dare, and a trip to Hogsmeade change all that?
1. Prologue

Too Different

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter... a girl can dream, though.

**Welcome to my story, Too Different. Things you should know: I'm trying out a writing style with (sigh) short chapters. I don't know if I like it. This story is my baby, the first one I've written, although it's not complete yet. Also! Dumbledore/Snape = very alive. The war happened although they didn't die. Review!  
**

**** (prologue)

"I completely refuse," screamed Rose. "I absolutely will not work with him!"

Hermione looked sternly at her daughter, and Rose fell silent. "Rose, I know you'd rather not share Prefect duties with this Malfoy boy, but it is your responsibility as a Prefect. After all, you two are in the same house. You should get along."

That was true. As a shock to his father, Scorpius had been put in Ravenclaw along with Rose and Albus. Rose and Scorpius had been head to head in all their classes, except for Potions, where Rose was dreadful and Scorpius immensely successful. It drove Rose mad.

Rose was on the edge of a full-fledged tantrum; she had inherited the Gryffindor stubborness and Hermione's dislike of coming in second. "We don't get along, he's selfish and rude and... And we're just too different!"

Hermione grinned, slipping out of her daughter's room. "You still haven't forgotten that potions class, have you?"

Rose slammed her door shut.

* * *

"I refuse to work with that Weasley girl!" Scorpius glared at his father. He had inherited the Slytherin pride and was still mad about his last Charms score where she had beaten him.

Draco nodded. "I don't blame you. I never could stand that Granger girl myself."

Scorpius laughed harshly. "So I don't have to-?"

"I never said that. I admit it, I despised Granger, but you should learn to get over your differences. She is, after all, in your house." Scorpius's dad spat out the last bit; he had never really forgiven Scorpius for being put in Ravenclaw.

Scorpius pushed Draco out of his room, yelling "We're just too different!" And he slammed the door.


	2. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter... *sighs* I don't. Darn.**

**EEEEE! I'm excited. Yes, this is short. I know. Why is it short? Because I'm testing out a new writing style. REVIEW!  
**

Dumbledore smiled as if he knew something the two enemies didn't. "You two will both patrol the corridors together. As I've heard from the professors, particularly Professor Snape, who claims you two have never had a lesson without an argument, you don't get along."

Rose looked sheepish. "We always have to be partners, and Scorpius seems to have a problem with any help I try to give him."

"Because she BURNS things," Scorpius added smugly. "She set that Longbottom kid on FIRE!"

"That was an accident and you know it," snapped Rose. "Snape gave us the wrong ingredients."

Scorpius shook his head. "No, you grabbed the moonstones when you were supposed to put in powdered belladonna."

Dumbledore put his hand up, signaling the end of their argument. "I can see that what your professors said was, in fact, true. It seems like patrolling tonight might end in disaster."

The enemies nodded emphatically.

"So I think you shall patrol with the Griffindor prefects, to cut off any more quarrels. Rose, you can go with Miss Potter, and Scorpius, you may patrol with Mr. Williams." Dumbledore nodded at their pleased expressions. "However, as you two are fairly similar in personality-"

"What?" yelped Scorpius. "We aren't-"

Dumbledore interrupted calmly. "You are similar in personality and quite frankly, there is no reason I can see that would prevent you from being friends... Unless of course it is hatred from the two families you come from. But as you two are very intellectual, I trust that you would overlook any family issues."

And with that, he left the room, leaving two confused people behind.


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

**Disclaimer: Hahahaha, I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I'm excited about starting this story. It's the first one I ever came up with! If you want more, please take the time to review. Thank you. :)  
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It was the first night of prefect duty, and Rose was still replaying Dumbledore's words in her head. "_'As you two are fairly similar in personality,'_" Rose mumbled to herself. "I am not at all like that buffoon." Rose stepped out of her common room, lost in thought.

"Talking to yourself?" Lily laughed. "Only you, Rose."

Rose jumped about a foot in the air, but relaxed once she saw her friend. "Good evening to you too, Lily," she said stiffly, half annoyed and half amused.

Lily grinned, pulling her light brown hair into a ponytail. "What's your problem today, girl? You look like you've had a tough day."

"Scorpius," Rose groaned. "He's the other Prefect."

Lily nodded. "Tough luck. But you gotta admit, he is fiiiiiiiiine..."

"I just threw up a little bit in my mouth, Lil," Rose shivered. "He is not."

The two argued playfully, walking around the school, ducking into hallways to make sure no students were out of bed. When they had made it to the Charms corridor, Rose stiffened and motioned for them to go the other way.

Lily rolled her eyes. "They don't bite. It's just Scorpius and Brent... and man, is Scorpius looking good today." She plainly checked him out, eyeing his messy blond hair and the tie loosely hung around his neck.

"Ick, Lil. Really. That's just... ew."

Lily pulled her best friend down to the end of the hallway where Scorpius and Brent stood, and immediately launched into a conversation with Brent over whether or not the Quidditch team was going to win against Ravenclaw in the next game.

"Obviously, Ravenclaw is going to lose," Brent said jokingly. "Because their seeker, that Malfoy kid, he sucks."

Scorpius laughed. "Oh, it's on. 5 galleons on Ravenclaw."

"I'm in," Lily said. "Because I know that Weasley girl, the chaser, she's just horrible."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I've been to your practices, Miss Gryffindork, I'm not the horrible one."

"Nice one, redhead," laughed Brent, high-fiving Rose. "5 galleons it is."

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On the day of the match, Rose was feeling horrible. Her stomach hurt, her head ached, she was freezing, but she forced herself to get out of bed, grab some toast, and walk down to the pitch. Her team was waiting, wearing the blue and silver Quidditch robes, talking eagerly about the match.

As she mounted her broom, her stomach churned with the usual nervousness, mixed with a strong desire to give back her breakfast. The whistle blew and Rose pushed firmly off the ground, beginning her specific flying pattern- fly around the pitch once, grab the quaffle, duck the bludger, shoot. Fly around, grab the quaffle, duck the bludger, shoot. It was so natural Rose didn't even have to think about it. She shot several goals, feeling a little bit better with each one.

"Rose!" shouted Lily, speeding across the field. "Try not to win, I need my five galleons."

Distracted, Rose tried to focus again. She made the mistake of looking down, seeing the grass hundreds of feet beneath her. Her vision blurred and her stomach made plaintive calls to empty itself. "No," Rose mumbled. "No..."

Rose swayed blindly on her broom, trying to hold on as her hands became sweaty. Suddenly a whistle blew and the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Ravenclaw wins!" shouted Madame Hooch.

Rose feverishly flew down to the ground, landing with a crash. The team surrounded Scorpius in a big hug, lifting him up on their shoulders. Rose ran straight for the bathroom, without even enough energy to roll her eyes as she saw Scorpius signing autographs.


	4. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Instead, I have cats.

**Poor Rose. I'm sick right now, which is why I made Rose suffer. Please review, it makes me feel better.  
**

**Just so y'all know, this chapter is short. As always. But i'm updating like every 30 minutes until i run out of already written material so it doesn't really matter. Lol... which is now. So review!  
**

**Also, thank you, LunaAliceAndRelient K, for your review. It made me smile. Know what else makes me smile? Ice cream. Just sayin'.**

Rose rushed into the bathroom, running at full speed straight for the door. Once inside, she sat with her head in between her knees, breathing heavily until the nausea began to fade. As soon as she was sure the contents of her stomach were happily settled and not going anywhere, she headed back up to the Ravenclaw common room.

"Where would you find a bezoar?" asked the stone ravens in front of the doors.

"In a potions storage room," answered Rose. "Now let me in."

The ravens seemed to glare at her, but the doors opened just the same, parting to reveal what was now a giant party, streamers hanging from all directions, music blasting and a large group of students trying to do the worm.

Suddenly Rose felt someone grab her shoulder and she screamed, stomach lurching painfully, feeling embarrassed when she saw it was just Lily.

"Seriously, girl. You gotta calm down and relax," said Lily, laughing.

Rose looked strangely at her friend. "You aren't in Ravenclaw."

"Oh, we're stating the obvious now, are we? You aren't in Gryffindor."

"No," said Rose, rolling her eyes. "Why are you here?"

Lily held up five galleons. "You won the bet. Plus I heard there's a raging party going on."

"I know," sighed Rose. "It sucks."

By the time the party had died down to just a few people, it was 2 in the morning. Rose had tried to leave several times to go to sleep, hoping to feel better in the morning, but Lily had always dragged her back into the crowd.

Rose was just about to slip away to the cool dormitories when Lily strode to the front of the room, turned off the music, and announced that they were going to play truth or dare.

"Anyone who isn't a wimp should participate," Lily decided. "So Rose, time to go to bed."

Several people snickered.

"I am not a wimp," Rose retorted, clutching her stomach and wincing as her head throbbed. "Scorpius has to leave."

Giggles erupted from around the room.

"I'm not leaving," said Scorpius.

"Neither am I."

Lily nodded, looking satisfied with herself. "Okay, who wants to go first?"


	5. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Disclaimer: I own a really cool pair of socks, but no Harry Potter.

**Thanks to P.o.T.t.Y.F.a.N.x and LittleMissHeadGirl for the nice reviews. Also thank you to Loveablerook, Shooting Stars 46, auroraborealis101, and P.o.T.t.Y.F.a.N.x for adding the story to their story alert subscriptions. And thanks to LittleMissHeadGirl for adding the story to your favorite story list. I love all of you guys. Thanks. **

**Oh... and for some reason my dumb breaky things that show when it's another scene? They all disappeared. Again. I think i fixed them all, but i'm sorry for anyone who was confused in previous chapters. My bad.  
**

**This is the truth or dare chapter, it's kind of filler for what comes in the next chapter. It's also not the last truth or dare chapter. Just bear with me, people. It's coming up soon. It's summer, i'm sick, have nothing to do... this means fast updates. :) Anyway, please review.

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"I'll go first," said Rose. Instantly she regretted it as all the eyes in the room seemed to focus on her, egging her on. Still feeling nauseated, she grabbed a chair to steady herself and plopped down in it. "Lily, truth or dare?"

Lily made a face. "How did I know you'd choose me? Fine. Truth."

"How many guys have you kissed?" Rose asked, already knowing the answer.

"We have been over this before," laughed Lily, enjoying all people now watching her. "Five. Oh, wait... six if you count that guy I met on vacation."

Someone whistled and Rose smiled, knowing that Lily was totally eating it up. The girl loved being the center of attention. Almost the complete opposite of Rose, who preferred peace and quiet.

"Scorpius," Lily purred. "Truth or dare?"

Scorpius looked a little taken aback at Lily's obvious flirtation, but recovered quickly. "Dare."

"I dare you to let me dye your hair blue," Lily said happily. "Not permanently, of course."

Scorpius winced. "Will you be able to dye it back to the exact same color as before?"

Rose snickered. He was the only guy who ever cared about his hair. She had seen him carefully combing it in several classes, making sure it always was slicked back and as nasty-looking as ever.

"Never mind," said Scorpius, glancing at Rose angrily. "Just dye it." He leaned his head down and Lily pointed her wand at it, instantly turning it a painful shade of blue.

The whole room laughed. Scorpius took one glance in the mirror and changed it back as fast as possible.

Scorpius pointed to a small, skinny boy in the corner of the room. "You," he shouted, nearly giving the poor guy a heart attack. "Truth or dare?"

The boy shrugged. "Dare?" he squeaked, then looked terrified. "No! Truth!"

"What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

"Well," the boy said, slowly. "One day I didn't go to my Charms class. But that was because I was sick and I was in the hospital wing."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Come on. You Ravenclaws are a bunch of wimps."

"I have something that can beat that," murmured a girl in a pink nightgown. "I didn't brush my teeth for 2 whole days!"

Suddenly the whole room filled with noise as people compared stories. Lily tapped Rose on the shoulder and whispered, "Should we broaden their horizons? Teach them what they've been missing out on while they've been reading dusty old books?"

Rose shrugged. "Just don't get any of us detention."

"You have such little faith in me, girl," said Lily, looking hurt. "What kind of fun would it be if you didn't get in a little trouble?"

"I'm a prefect. I can't get in trouble, or I'll lose my badge!"

Lily smacked her best friend on the shoulder. Hard. "I'm a prefect, too. I've been breaking rules for years and nobody's caught me. If you're not tough enough to do it, then maybe someone else can."

"I will", said Scorpius, still seething over the arguments with Rose.

"I can totally break the rules. One time, I ate ice cream... with a fork." Rose smiled, then crossed her arms and glared at her enemy. "I bet I can break the most amount of rules and not get caught."

Scorpius folded his arms across his chest. "Fine. But I'm gonna win."

Rose smirked. "You have to have a witness there, watching you break a rule. Otherwise we all know you'll cheat."

"Fair enough... Lily, you're my witness," Scorpius grinned evilly at Rose.

Lily smiled apologetically at Rose, who mouthed the words "you're toast" at her.

"Brent's my witness," said Rose, instantly wishing she hadn't said that. Brent had been flirting with her almost all year, and she didn't really want to be alone with him. But there was no backing out now... this was war.

**Heehee, I love saying that. "This was war". So cheesy and yet so exciting, isn't it? Just like my fave tv show, Glee. Anyway, please review! **


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

disclaimer: Yup. I'm not J.. Totally wish i was, though...

**So! I'm back. With chapter five!  
**

**LittleMissHeadGirl- Rose being sick is just a little part I threw in there to show how stubborn she can be. And I'm glad you like Scorpius's dare. :)**

**P.o.T.t.Y.F.a.N.x- Thank you! And Glee is amazing. :)**

**Brooke is not my name- I know that they're dead... I thought i mentioned that but my computer's been all screwy every now and then. But thanks for pointing that out. :)**

**Sea Serpent- I considered putting him in Gryffindor, but then his dad would kill him. And you can't really work with a dead character, can you? Lol it just didn't seem to fit. :)**

**Thanks to LittleMissHeadGirl, Sea Serpent, jinx1995, 13, Ra-ra Kim, and BloodFireAlchEMisT for adding this story to their Story Alert subscriptions.**

**Also thanks to Brooke is not my name and Lexi-Rwan for adding this to their Favorite Stories list. It gives me a little sugar rush without the sugar when i get those emails. :) Now read and review please. :)

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"I don't know if I can do this," mumbled Rose. "I really don't want to get my prefect privileges taken away."

Brent snorted, leaning back against a column in front of the library. He folded his arms, obviously flexing his muscles, hoping to impress the girl in front of him. "I think you can handle stealing from a professor."

"What if I get caught?"

"Then you'll have to take a bath in the normal bathrooms, instead of the prefect ones. Big deal."

Rose laughed. "You're right. Plus, you know me, I can never back down from a challenge."

"I know," Brent said shyly. He ran a hand through his dark hair. "It's one of the things I find extremely attractive in a girl."

Rose felt herself turn red and hoped Brent wouldn't get the wrong idea. After all, she was a redhead, and blushed for everything. "Oh," she said quietly. "That's, uh, nice?"

"Um... well, anyway, off you go. So far, you have a rule already broken, being out after curfew. Once you steal from a teacher, you'll have broken three rules tonight."

"Three?"

"One for curfew, one for sneaking into a teacher's private office, one for stealing from a teacher."

Rose smiled. "If I break a couple rules every day, I'll win."

"What will you get?"

"It's up to whoever wins," Rose said, looking a little bit nervous. "They get to choose, one thing. Could be anything." She let out a nervous giggle. "You never know, with Malfoy. I can't lose, or I may end up broke..." Money was a scarcity in the Weasley family, although she did get a generous birthday allowance from her rich uncle, George.

"You'll win for sure. We make a good team."

Rose rolled her eyes inwardly. Brent was enjoying this far too much. "I have to go now. Wish me luck!"

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Fifteen minutes later, Rose returned to where Brent was standing, leaning against a column near the library. "I got it," she whispered. "One small vial of Felix Felicis. Now, there'sno way I can lose." She held up a bottle, filled with the softly shimmering gold liquid.

Brent hugged her, holding her just too long for it to be a friendly hug. Rose winced. "Um... I should go now, before I get caught."

The tall Gryffindor nodded. "See you tomorrow, Rose. I really hope this works." From the sound of it, he wasn't talking about the potion.

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The next day, Rose went down to breakfast only to find Lily and Scorpius quietly discussing something important over a cup of coffee. They leaned close together when talking, obviously trying to keep it a secret. "What's up, Lil?" she asked, poking her friend in the back.

Lily looked startled, green eyes widening. "Oh, hi, Rose."

"We were just talking," Scorpius said lazily. "Can you please excuse us?"

Rose's temper flared. "She's my best friend, I need to talk to her."

"No need to get testy, Weasley." Scorpius narrowed his gray velvet eyes. "You may see your friend, it's not like you need my permission."

Rose dragged Lily up out of the great hall and into an abandoned classroom. "I need your help on something."

"You know I can't help you with the contest, Rose."

Rose glared at Lily. "I would never ask about that. It's just, I'm having boy problems. Brent is annoying the heck out of me."

"Ooh," squealed Lily. "He likes you, I know."

"I know," sighed Rose. "It's such a problem."

Lily shook her head. "How is that a problem? The boy's head over heels for you. And he is very cute, in a slouchy-boy way."

Rose considered her friend's opinion. With the dark curls and brown eyes, the tall boy was very good-looking. And he adored her. "I just don't like him."

"Then there really isn't a problem, is there?" Lily smiled.

Rose shook her head. "So, what's up, Lil? I've barely seen you at all since this contest started. Scorpius has been keeping you all to himself."

"He's dreamy," grinned Lily. "And there's something I have to tell you, Rose. You're not going to like it..."

**Eek! Eek! Cliffhanger! lol... What do YOU think is going to happen? **


	7. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6  
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disclaimer: Nope, don't own Harry Potter. What else is new?

**You guys might hate me for this, but i'm gonna have to go on vacation soon... for 3 weeks. I'm not sure if i'll have internet or not, but i'll try to keep updating as often as possible... and when i get back, i'll be super good and post all the time, ok? lol**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, i don't have time to name you guys (i'm rushing... which is why this chapter is so short), but you know who you are. Give yourself a big pat on the back for me. you guys are grrrreat at guessing, by the way...**

**REVIEW PLEASE!

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"I'm in love," sighed Lily.

Rose smiled. "Who is it this time, Lil?"

"Scorpius."

"MALFOY?" A wave of emotions hit Rose with the force of a strong tsunami. She felt the strange urge to cry, but fought it back. "You're kidding, right?"

Lily reddened. "No."

"But he's so..." Rose's voice trailed off.

"Yummy, I know!" Lily grinned.

Rose shook her head madly. "He's stubborn and lazy and annoying!"

"Maybe to you, Rose," Lily said fiercely. "You're so judgmental, you don't think anyone is good enough for you, miss Ravenclaw princess."

"I am not judgmental," Rose argued.

Lily laughed coldly. "Yes, you are. You just came to me complaining that a boy liked you."

"That doesn't make me judgmental!"

"It does," said Lily. "Because you just think you're too good for him."

"I don't think that! Brent's a great person."

"Yes," Lily smiled grimly. "He is, isn't he? But you're so perfect you could never go out with him." She spat out the last few words, sarcasm dripping from each syllable.

Rose squinted, willing the tears in her eyes to stay there. "I can't believe you! You're being so horrible!"

"You should be supportive of me," Lily said, looking hurt.

Rose glared at her friend. "Well, maybe you should be supportive of me."

Lily snorted. "I'm so fed up with your stubbornness, your prejudices, Rose. It's hard to be around you."

"It's not my fault, I'M not the one who is IN LOVE with SCORPIUS MALFOY!"

A lost second year Slytherin girl had just poked her head into the room at that very moment, searching for her Transfiguration class. At Rose's words, she looked up. "You're that Ravenclaw prefect, aren't you?" she asked shyly.

"Yes, I am," Rose said. "Why?"

The girl giggled. "You're in love with Scorpius Malfoy? Is that what you just said? Isn't that the other prefect?"

"Yes," Rose nodded, then shook her head quickly. "No, wait! I'm not in love with him, he's the prefect, but I'm not..."

"He's one of my brother's best friends," said the girl. Smiling evilly with the trademark Slytherin smirk, she walked out of the room.

Rose looked at her best friend with huge eyes. "Oh, crap."

**Eeeeeek! Whadaya think is gonna happen? Review!  
**


	8. Chapter 7

disclaimer: yah, you've heard this before. me = me. not j.k. rowling.

**Yes! Yes! You heard it first here! I'm BAAAACK! I'm very very very psyched to be back home. ;) And to update again! This is the chapter when everything goes downhill for poor Rose... hmmm... What do you think is going to happen? read and review, y'all. :) I'll be updating again soon.

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Lily smiled grimly at Rose. "Looks like you're in trouble now, aren't you?"

A panicked look crossed Rose's face. "What do you mean?"

"God, Rose. Do you even know who that was?" Lily asked, gesturing at the door. "Do you know anything?"

Rose shook her head slowly, ignoring the insult. "Do I want to know?"

"Nope," smirked Lily. "But you'll find out soon enough." And with that, she angrily marched out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Rose sat on the edge of a desk, feet dangling off the side, trying to understand what had just happened. She felt like crawling under a hole, just to escape everything. The emotions swirling around in her head made Rose feel like a tornado had consumed her. Everything was horrible. Rose had a crush on Scorpius. Brent probably liked her. Her best friend walked out on her. And a Slytherin thought she loved Scorpius. Could things get any worse?

Apparently, they could. As soon as Rose stepped out of the door, she crashed into Brent. Rose pulled away from the tall boy as he smiled at her in a sickening way that made Rose wince.

"Hi, Rose!"

"Hey, Brent," Rose said. "I was just going to go back to my common room... I've got a lot on my plate right now."

Brent nodded. "I know what you mean. My life is very complicated right now."

"Is there anything I can do?" asked Rose.

Brent shook his head vigorously. "Actually, there's something I have to ask you."

"What?"

"Will you... will you go out with me?"

Rose's stomach sank. She couldn't break his heart. But she couldn't lead him on. Where was Lily when she needed her? "Um... sure."

Brent's eyes lit up. "I wasn't sure if you'd say yes. My little sister said you wouldn't... But she's a Slytherin, so I don't trust her judgment."

"WHAT?"

**Eek! What's going to happen? poor Rose. Review! Review!**


	9. Chapter 8

disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything.

**Please please forgive me... I left you hanging AND didn't update fast, school started. and this is a short chapter, i know. *ducks to avoid flying vegetables* Please review, it'll keep the chapters coming faster! I promise! **

"Your sister... a Slytherin?" Rose stared at Brent with wide eyes.

Brent looked confused. "Well... yeah. Dark hair, dark eyes, you've probably seen her around. She's a second year."

"Are you SURE?" Rose asked stupidly.

Brent laughed awkwardly. "Well, yes. But does it really matter, if my sister is in Slytherin? I know you have, er... issues, with the Slytherins..."

"I so totally don't!" Rose argued defensively.

"You hexed four of the Slytherin Keeper's toes off!"

Rose smiled sheepishly. "He didn't need all ten, really..."

"And do I even need to go into that whole deal with the mandrakes?"

"Did you have to bring that up?" Rose groaned. "I was trying to forget that."

"You do see my point, though."

"Yes," sighed Rose.

Brent gazed deeply into Rose's eyes in a way that made Rose extremely uncomfortable. "I don't think badly of you for being extremely, uh... strong-willed."

"Strong-willed?" Rose glared at Brent, who seemed to shrink back a little.

"Not in a bad way. You just have very, um, strong ideas and hold tightly onto them. It's not a bad thing. In fact, I find it attractive."

Rose made up her mind that she would stop being strong-willed if it made Brent attracted to her. _From now on, _she told herself, _I'll be as stubborn as a jellyfish. _"Oh," murmured Rose awkwardly. "Well..."

"All I want to do is make sure that you don't judge me on the fact that my sister is a Slytherin."

Rose mentally hit herself for ever saying yes to Brent. He was just too sweet- and he deserved better. He deserved someone who actually liked him. Someone good, someone who wouldn't break his-

"Sweetie? Come back to Earth." Brent smiled down at his girlfriend. Rose winced at the horrible nickname.

"Um, Brent? Do you think you could maybe try not to call me-" Rose stopped, suddenly becoming aware that Brent was leaning in, closing the distance between them until their lips were touching. Rose pulled away abruptly.

"Did I do something wrong?" Brent looked hurt.

Rose wiped her lips on the back of her hand. "No. I just realized that I, uh, have to go." Without waiting for Brent to reply, she turned her back on her boyfriend and strode away.

As she rounded a corner, she saw something that made her jaw drop. "What in the name of Merlin's holy bucket?"


	10. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**The computer! It's alive! Thank you for reviewing, and I'm so happy to see that I HAVE reviews. Review this chapter as well please.  
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Rose felt her mouth drop open as she took in the scene in front of her. It was so unbelievable, but there they were. Lily, sitting on Scorpius's lap, in plain sight. The part of her that was still attached to Lily was telling her to leave ASAP, that she was ruining the moment for Lily, but the much larger part, the part of her that was angry at her ex-best friend, told her to stay.

Scorpius whispered something softly in Lily's ear, and Rose gasped as Lily turned bright red and giggled before planting a sweet kiss on Scorpius's cheek.

At the noise, Lily turned to face her ex-best friend. "It's not nice to eavesdrop, Rose."

"I- I- I... I wasn't..." Rose's now pink face gave her away. "I swear, I wasn't..."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Whatever, Rose. We all know that you just want to win the contest. I didn't think you'd resort to spying, though. Oh well, it's not like you're going to win. Scorpy and I, we've got it made. How many rules have we broken already?"

"Hmm... around 23, I think. Did we count the one in the library?"

Lily grinned at Scorpius. "I don't think so. 24, then. What about you, Rose?"

Rose groaned. She'd completely forgotten about the stupid contest! The contest that had gotten her and Brent together, and from the looks of it, Lily and Scorpius too.

"We've broken a lot of rules, more than you I think," Rose lied. "Not so sure though. Brent and I got lost in each other's eyes..." Rose let her voice trail off, disgusted with herself for sounding so cheesy.

Lily snorted. "You... and Brent? 'Lost in each other's eyes?' What are you, a walking romance novel?"

"No," Rose said defensively.

"Now, if you don't mind," Scorpius drawled, sounding like he didn't care in the least if she did mind. "I'd like to spend some alone time with my girlfriend." The meaning in his words was equally clear and sickening, and it felt like each syllable drove a spike through Rose's heart.

Lily glowed with happiness at his words. "Can you leave?"

Rose didn't need to be told twice. Turning her back on the couple, now deep in conversation, she stormed back up to the Prefect bathroom, where she spent an hour in the bathtub, thinking out loud.

"Oh, I just want to kill Lily, that backstabbing EX-best friend of mine. Now she's dating the ENEMY, not that I care..." Midway through her rant, Rose stopped as one crystal clear thought filled her brain. She did care.

Rose sat in the bath until she found herself becoming extremely drowsy and prune-like all over. She hopped out and pulled on her robes, nearly asleep.

Trudging back up to Ravenclaw tower, Rose went over possible reasons WHY she could be mad that Scorpius and Lily were together. "Reason one: I don't want Lily to get hurt." But after their fight, Rose realized that that wasn't the case. "Reason two: I'm going crazy." Possible, but unlikely. Crossing reason two off on her mental checklist, Rose thought about the last reason that was floating around in her brain. "Reason three: I'm in love with Scorpius Malfoy." It was impossible. They were too different. Rivals in everything. They could never stop fighting. A relationship between them that didn't involve blackmail or pranks? Impossible. Wasn't it?

Before she could answer her own questions, she pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill and wrote a quick , demented- sounding letter to Brent, her sentences running together into a jumbled mess of exhausted words.

_Dear Brent,_

_I hope you are doing okay. I'm so tired, this probably isn't going to make sense, you know how I am at night-time. Well, actually, you don't, because we don't spend time together at night. I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I just mean, you don't sleep here with me, not WITH ME, but near me, because you're in Gryffindor. Plus even if you WERE in Ravenclaw, you would sleep with the boys. Near them, anyway; I know you aren't gay, which is too bad, because gay people are actually pretty cool. And then we wouldn't be dating, would we?_

_Anyway, we don't need to go over this, because you AREN'T in Ravenclaw, only smart people are! Are you smart? I don't know if you are or aren't, but I'm not, so maybe you don't have to be smart to be in Ravenclaw! Why aren't you in Ravenclaw? And why isn't there a house for the house elves? They could call it "ELFLAND". But that's not the point._

_We need to talk about breaking more rules for the contest. Lily and Scorpius? They've broken over 20 rules already, although they might have been exaggerating. But that's still bad. By the way, they're dating now, and Lily and I aren't friends anymore, we had a fight._

_We really need to win the contest because otherwise I might go crazy and end up on a street corner of Diagon Alley, like that one guy who always warns me not to eat pineapple because the ministry is really using them for communication with Dark Wizards. So we need to win. Plus if we don't win, I'll never be able to look at them anymore- Lily and Scorpius- without feeling that bad feeling when you lose, like when we lost to Gryffindor in the House Cup last year, except you were happy, and I cried, and you gave me your jacket because you're nice, and then I lost it and lied to you that I wanted to keep it even though it was hideous. Basically, just meet me at the library tomorrow at noon so we can talk._

_From Rose  
_

_PS- I don't even LIKE pineapple._

Rose sent the letter, not even proof-reading it (which she would regret), then found herself in front of her bed, where she collapsed, the questions she was trying not to answer floating around in her brain. She fell asleep instantly.


	11. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

**Disclaimer: Do not own Harry Potter. So sad.**

**It's up! Review if you want me to update quickly!****  


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The next morning, there was a small pineapple with a note tied around it sitting on the foot of Rose's bed. She studied the pineapple, then turned over the note and read it, her eyebrows raising higher and higher with each word.

_Dear Rose,_

_Of course I would be happy to meet with you in the library. I'll see you there soon. Your letter was interesting; I hope you remember sending it, apparently you were quite tired. I have something to give you in the library, sweetie._

_Love, Brent_

"Merlin," sighed Rose. "What did I send to that boy?" Sliding out of bed, she glanced at the clock on the wall next to her, which read 11:34. Her heart jumped a foot in her chest, and she hurriedly began getting dressed, sloppily applying her makeup and throwing on her least favorite outfit before racing to the library. Once inside, she spotted Brent at the back table with a bouquet of roses sitting across from him.

"Rose!" He shouted, turning heads all around, making Rose blush deeply.

"Hi," she mumbled, sitting down at his table. "Morning."

Brent handed her the bouquet. "A rose for Rose."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I haven't heard THAT one before."

Brent looked concerned. "Are you okay? You were up pretty late, I guess."

"I'm fine," Rose snapped. "Just tired."

Brent seemed to be fighting back a laugh. "You uh, sent me an interesting letter."

"I don't remember," Rose admitted, putting her head in her hands. "What did it say?"

"Would you like to read it?" Brent pulled the letter out of his back pocket and handed it to the redhead.

Rose accepted the letter, reading it hurriedly before turning a sickly shade of maroon. "Oh my gosh. This is just... terrible."

Brent smiled awkwardly. "At first, when I read it, I thought you were drunk."

"I can imagine. Sorry about that one part, you know..."

"The part where you said you wished I was gay?" Brent snickered quietly. "No, really, don't apologize. It's absolutely fine. That's not what I want to talk about anyway."

"The contest?"

Brent nodded. "What rules can we break?"

"Yelling in the corridors," Rose said thoughtfully. "Exiting school grounds after curfew, fighting in the hallways, and disrupting classes. Can you think of any others?"

Brent was looking deeply into her eyes and didn't seem to be paying much attention to Rose's words. "Yeah," he muttered. "Definitely."

"Which ones can you think of?"

This seemed to snap Brent out of his daydream. "Rose, there's something I wanted to show you."

"Is it part of the contest?" Rose asked. "Is it a rule we can break? Because really, we need to work on that."

"Rose, I wrote you a poem."

"Oh." This made Rose feel very uneasy. They were headed towards sensitive territory, and she really didn't want to read a love poem from a person she didn't love.

Brent placed the poem in her hand and she began to read, realizing that Brent could most definitely not write poetry.

_My Rose, sweet as the daylight mornings. Her laugh tinkles like a fairy kiss, pirouetting through the midnight darkness. Her kisses are heavenly things, sent from high above to sprinkle the earth with happiness. How glad I am that she is only mine, my cherished lollipop.  
_

Rose fought back a laugh. Obviously Brent had worked hard on this, but it was probably the worst poem she'd ever read.

"What do you think? I wanted to make it romantic."

"It's one of a kind," Rose answered truthfully, pocketing the letter with a smirk.

"I'm glad you think so."

Rose plastered a smile on her face before changing the subject. "So! We need to work on our plan for the contest."

"Whatever you want, sweetie." Brent leaned across the table to give Rose a sloppy kiss.

Rose winced. "Change of plans. I have to go now. See you in Charms!" And with that, she took off into the hallway, not stopping until she ran at full speed into none other than Scorpius Malfoy.

"Oh."

**Remember: Review and I'll update it soonly.**


	12. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Disclaimer: I own a cat, but no Harry Potter.

**Since I'm absolutely amazing- and in a great writing mood- I updated it tonight! Review! Review!  


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"Scorpius," Rose breathed. She untangled herself from the blond boy and took a step back, inhaling Scorpius's warm scent.

Scorpius looked rather flustered. "Watch where you're going, Weasley. I don't want any broken bones before the big party."

"Party?" Rose asked, feeling like a loser for not knowing about it.

"Haven't you seen the signs?" He asked scathingly. "They're everywhere." Scorpius gestured to the wall behind her, where a sign hung on the wall advertising a giant celebration taking place in the room of requirement at seven.

Rose blinked. "Oh. Well, I'll see you there, I guess."

Scorpius didn't answer. He brushed past her quickly before hurrying away.

"What in Merlin's name is he doing?" Rose asked herself, her curiosity getting the better of her. She cast a simple spell on herself, shivering at the sensation of turning invisible, then sprinted after the boy in front of her.

Rose trailed him through the castle, puzzled at his sneaky behavior. Scorpius was racing through the halls, checking periodically over his shoulder and only stopping once he reached a broom closet. He disappeared inside, leaving Rose out in the corridor alone. She stared confusedly at the door, understanding dawning upon her when a Hufflepuff girl suddenly appeared next to her and darted into the cramped closet. There was a high-pitched giggle, and then the obvious sound of kissing.

Revulsion flooded Rose's body. The cheater! He was cheating on Lily! Although Rose hadn't forgiven her, she felt like she had to tell the poor girl. It was her right to know.

_Okay,_ Rose decided. _I'll tell her at the party._ She turned on her heel, and strode back to the common room, not realizing that there were tears streaming down her face.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of homework and any other distractions Rose could think of to bide her time before it turned seven. She threw on a purple sleeveless top and a short skirt, applied her makeup- this time with more precision- and hurried to the party.

There was a large cluster of people sitting on the floor in a circle. Rose took a seat in between Brent and a chunky Gryffindor she didn't know and was informed that they would be playing truth or dare. Inwardly, Rose groaned. A bottle of Veritaserum sat on the floor in the middle of the circle.

A Slytherin boy spoke up. "I'll go first. Here are the rules: You may choose either truth or dare, and if you decide to turn down one of them, you must pick the other choice." He smiled evilly. "Who wants to go first?"

Lily's hand shot up. "I'll go first. Stephanie, truth or dare?"

The plump Gryffindor with a fat braid down her back jumped when her name was called. "Uh, truth."

"Who do you think is the hottest boy in school?"

The girl looked troubled but answered immediately. "Hugo Weasley."

Rose scoffed. No way was her brother the hottest boy in school.

As the game progressed, the dares became more embarassing and the truths became more revealing, but Rose was never called on. It was discovered that Alex Longbottom had a massive crush on Lily, and had an entire wall in his room devoted to pictures of her. Hayley Brown turned out to have made out with Albus Potter at the end of last year. Then it was Scorpius's turn.

"Rose," Scorpius grinned. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Rose whispered.

"Who is the person you are most attracted to in the world?" Scorpius grinned at her, sensing her discomfort.

"On second thought, dare!" Rose screeched.

Scorpius gestured for her to follow him to a corner of the room. Rose's breath caught in her throat at being so close to him. "Your dare, Weasley, is to lose the contest."

"Wait!" Rose said thoughtfully. "That means that you get one thing that you want."

"Exactly."

**Heehee... What do you THINK he wants? Review! Tell me!  
**


	13. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

Disclaimer: No Harry Potter. What a shame.

**Oh my goodness! I have... (drumroll, please) 50 reviews! That makes... 51 reviews total, including my other story, and you have noooo clue how happy I am. Reviews = happy me. Happy me = more story. More story = happy readers. Happy readers = Reviews! So review!  
**

**

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**As Rose took a seat in the circle once again, she noticed Lily eyeing her suspiciously. _Don't worry,_ thought Rose. _I won't touch your man... but that isn't to say someone else won't._

"Lily," called Rose, making a decision quickly. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

Rose smiled grimly at the girl who used to be her best friend and picked up the bottle of Veritaserum. "Okay. Come over here."

Lily stood up slowly and walked over to Rose, accepting the potion and taking a sip. She shuddered. "What do you want to know, Weasley?"

"Do you think Scorpius would ever cheat on you?"

Lily's expression of distaste deepened into a scowl. "No. Not that it's any of your business. But what we have, it's just too strong to be broken by any of that. He would never..." Lily's voice trailed off. "What are you saying?"

"Lily... I saw him. He was cheating on you with a Hufflepuff today. I followed him."

"You're lying!" Lily glared at Rose. "You just want me to be unhappy."

Rose growled. "I'm telling the freaking truth, Lily!"

"I don't believe you."

Rose didn't even reply. Instead, she stomped away, slamming the door behind her.

Taking deep breaths to calm herself down, Rose began walking steadily back to the prefect bathroom, ready to take another bath. Suddenly a door to the dungeons flew open and a black-haired Slytherin girl that she knew she had seen before burst out.

"Weasley? Is that you?"

"Yes," Rose answered, wondering how the girl knew her name. "And you are?"

"Tracy Williams. You know me."

Rose nodded, still not knowing exactly where she had seen the girl before. "Oh. I guess I do."

The girl grinned. "You're crushing on Scorpius, right?"

Now she knew where she'd seen the girl before. It was Brent's sister. The one who'd overheard her outburst in her fight with Lily. "What? No!"

"It's okay. Don't be ashamed. It's not like I'm going to tell anyone."

Rose exhaled. "Good."

"Who am I kidding? I'll tell everyone." She tossed her shiny black hair over her shoulder. "But you're dating my brother, is that right?"

Rose nodded feebly. "Yes, I am."

"Interesting. Just wait until I tell. He won't be too happy, and I'll love seeing his broken heart." The girl smirked.

"You're brother and sister!"

Brent's sister grimaced. "I just hate that boy. He's my parent's favorite, see? It's like I don't exist. They don't..." She choked out the last few words. "They don't love me." A single tear trailed down her cheek.

"That doesn't mean you have to crush him!" Rose's voice was edging on hysteria.

The girl angrily brushed at her eyes. "It's who I am. And it's none of your business."

"Please. Please don't."

The Slytherin turned away. "Too late!" she cackled, racing towards the party before disappearing around a bend in the hallway.

"Merlin," Rose cried, tears turning into sobs. "What have I done?" She held her head in her arms, wailing until she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Oh my god. Do you follow me everywhere?"

* * *

**Who is it? ... Well, duh. Who else could it BE? Review! Review! I might post another one soonly... If you guys, you know, review... *hint, hint* **


	14. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Disclaimer: Look in my purse. Gum, mints, more gum, hair clip, but no Harry Potter. :(

**AAAAAAAAAH! I'm back! Review and I'll be back again tomorrow!  
**

**Writing these stories is probably really bad for me. I find myself craving a love/hate relationship, and i'm so depressed with my boring life. Sad, sad. But it's so addicting, why stop?**

**PS- If you're looking for a good read, try reading "Boyfriend". It's such a great story- a sort of love/hate relationship with James and Lily... You will LOVE it. :)  
**

_RECAP: "Oh my god. Do you follow me everywhere?"

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"Do you want the truth?" Scorpius smiled, revealing a set of pure white teeth that nearly blinded the crying girl in front of him.

Rose took a deep, shuddering breath that probably had less to do with her sobs and more to do with the gorgeous figure in front of her. "Probably not." She rubbed at her eyes, leaving mascara smudges on her fingers.

"I didn't think so."

"Why are you here, Malfoy?" Rose held her hands up to the light, inspected them, and wiped her fingers on her robes. "I mean, it's not like you care about me."

Scorpius seemed to be fighting the urge to say something he shouldn't. "Tissue?" He asked feebly, holding out a small package.

Rose took one, noting as she did so that the tissue had a beautiful pink rose stamped onto it. _Wait_, she thought. _Scorpius Malfoy bought girl tissues?_

"I bought them for you," he admitted, seeing her look of confusion. "I knew you'd end up needing them. You being with Brent and all."

Rose slumped against the wall, more tears streaming down her face. "Brent..." He'd be hearing the rumors by now. His heart would be broken, and Rose would be to blame.

"I'm sorry, Rose. I didn't mean to bring it up." His voice seemed gentler, kinder, totally unlike the Malfoy she knew. "Did he... did he break your heart?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she said firmly.

"I understand. Do you want to take a walk? Because, no offense, but you look like you could do with something to drink."

Rose nodded gratefully. "Drinks would be good."

Scorpius took her hand and led her along the hallways until they reached the kitchens, where Rose stopped.

"Scorpius?"

He turned his head to glance at the girl beside him. "Hmm?"

"You can let go of my hand now."

The blond boy said nothing but dropped her hand as if it had burned him and turned a very angry shade of red. He quickly tickled the pear and stepped inside, where a group of house elves were clustered around one particular elf.

"Lady Rose!" called the small house elf in the middle of the circle, who was wearing what seemed to be a very revealing nurse costume and socks that bunched around the ankles. "Welcome!"

"Dobby!" exclaimed Rose, her face brightening. "Er... what are you wearing?"

The tiny elf jumped up and down. "James Potter brought it for Dobby, as a Hollofeen present. Dobby very much likes it!"

"That seems like something he would do," Rose said. "Does anyone else wear clothes?"

A hush seemed to spread over the crowd of house elves.

"House elves are meant to serve," one of the house elves cried. "Not play with clothes!"

Rose smiled awkwardly. "Oh, um..."

Scorpius cleared his throat. "Can we get two butterbeers, please?"

This sent the house elves back in motion, and in minutes they were presented with two steaming hot mugs.

"Better?" Scorpius asked.

Rose nodded. "You still haven't answered my question. I haven't forgotten. Why are you here?"

Scorpius sighed. "Why I'm here, Rose, is because I won the contest. I came to tell you what I wanted, but... now I know you can't handle it."

"What do you mean I can't handle it?" Rose snapped, all trace of sadness replaced by annoyance.

Scorpius shook his head. "It's something you can't give me, so... don't worry about it, okay?"

"I can take it. Just tell me what it is!"

Scorpius groaned. "All I want... is a kiss."

"A kiss? Why?"

The blond boy looked tortured. "I... Rose, I want... isn't it obvious? You're the only thing I can never have. Can't you see how much I hate being around you? You're a constant reminder that I can never win!" He looked mortified at his outburst.

Rose felt her jaw hit the floor.

"I'm not asking for you to choose me over him," Scorpius added quickly. "I just want a kiss, and then we can forget it ever happened."

"I don't love Brent. And why would I ever want to forget you?" Rose said, grinning. Quickly, she closed the distance between them and gave Scorpius an electrifying kiss. Scorpius wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer. It was perfect. Fiery. Passionate. And then... it was over.

Before Rose could even begin to ask what was wrong, she knew. "Merlin," Rose said, eyes wide. "Lily."

Her ex-best friend had just walked into the room.

**Oh my gosh, WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN? Hahaha, I already know; I have it ALL planned out. I'm guessing there are only about 3 more chapters left, but you never know... **

**REVIEW! I love you if you do, you know.  
**


	15. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Disclaimer: No, I really don't own Harry Potter. We've been through this before.

**Wow... This chapter is UP! And I'm kinda sad, because it's getting quite close to the end. I'm thinking about 2 or 3 more chapters. Scary, huh? But it'll be exciting. I don't exactly know how everything's going to go down; I'm letting Rose lead the way. Review, please.  


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Rose snapped her eyes shut, hoping that the terrifying scene around her would disappear and that she would wake up. _Wake up_, she screamed to herself. _This is just a horrible nightmare. Wake up!_

She tentatively opened her eyes and nearly passed out.

Lily was still there, eyes wide as she slowly looked from Scorpius to Rose, then back again. "I heard the rumors," she said, looking defeated. "I didn't believe them."

"Lily. I can explain. It was because of-"

"No!" Lily's voice rose an octave. "I didn't believe you when you told me he was cheating on me. I should have. He was cheating on me... with you!"

Rose shook her head. "But he wasn't, not with me! With a Hufflepuff! And, well... now with me."

"I thought you'd respect the fact that I wanted to be with him. I thought... I thought we could still be friends."

"We can, Lily! It's all a big misunderstanding!" Rose pleaded. "But you have to believe me."

Lily looked straight at Rose. "I want to, Rose. I really do. I want to go back to being best friends. But I can't trust you anymore."

Rose bit her lip but said nothing, knowing Lily was right. She watched as Lily walked out of the room, and felt a pang as she realized that this time, she might be gone for good.

Rose took a deep breath. "What do I do now?"

Scorpius seemed to be at a loss for words. "I don't know, Rose."

"I can't just let her walk away!" Rose began to cry. "She's my best friend!"

Scorpius squeezed Rose's hand. "Let her calm down. She's just upset. You guys will sort it out, I know you will."

Rose nodded feebly, tears streaming down her face.

"But right now, you need to sleep, Rose. It's getting late." Scorpius led her out of the kitchen where a crowd seemed to be forming, waiting to see if the rumors were true.

"Get out of the way," sobbed Rose. "Leave me alone."

The group of people parted and let Rose and Scorpius pass, whispering among themselves.

"Rose!"

Rose turned to see a tall boy racing towards her. She began to cry harder. "Brent..."

Scorpius stepped in front of her. "Williams," he said coldly. "She doesn't want to talk to you. Not after you broke her heart."

Brent laughed, the sound harsh and unamused. "Ha! I never did anything to hurt her. I never broke her heart."

"I broke his," Rose said quietly.

Scorpius blinked. "Oh."

"I can't believe you led me on, Rose. If you liked Scorpius, you could have just told me."

Rose sniffled. "I didn't want to hurt you, Brent. I wanted us to just stay friends."

"Friends? You think I want to be friends with you, Rose, after you crushed me?"

"Brent, if there's anything I can do to make it up to you..."

The Gryffindor glared at Rose. "What can you do? Here's an idea. Stay away from me." He trudged off, his expression defeated.

"Rose, I'm so sorry," Scorpius said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder.

The small girl grimaced. "I'd like to be alone, Scorpius. I need some time to think."

Feeling more miserable than ever, she padded up to the Prefect bathroom, ready for a long, tearful soak.

**I feel so bad for the poor girl, and I wish I wasn't putting her through so much stress. It's not getting any better for her in the next chapter, either. More drama is on it's way. Is anyone else sensing what's coming? What's your guess, dear readers? Review and tell me.**


	16. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I would love, however, to own Scorpius Malfoy, if anyone would like to sell him.

**I'm quite freaking out, you see. Writing this story is making me terribly depressed, especially this chapter. However, it will get better for poor Rose. That I can promise. Unfortunately, it's not getting better anytime soon. Maybe next chapter? I think so. Next chapter, or the chapter after that, may in fact be the last chapter of Too Different. Then I'm planning on beginning a story entirely of notes passed between Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Anyway, please review!**

**

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**Rose sat in the tub, staring blankly at her hands, trying not to think about Brent, Lily, or Scorpius. She let her thoughts fly out fast, pondering first why hands were necessary, then why they became wrinkly in water. Then she spent a full five minutes trying to see if she could bend only her pinky, without the ring finger bending as well. After a long time spent wondering why she couldn't see anymore, she looked around as if coming out of a trance and realized the whole Prefect's bathroom had filled completely with fog.

Rose pulled herself slowly out of the tub, dressed, and trudged up to the Ravenclaw tower. Only a few people remained in the common room, poring over homework or playing a game of wizard's chess. Silently, Rose slipped into her bed and quickly fell into a long, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, a buzz of chatter followed Rose wherever she went. In the Great Hall she had been asked time and time again whether it was true if she and Scorpius were a couple. Rose had merely shrugged, not entirely knowing the answer herself.

Classes were torture. Lily had completely ignored her, holding herself in a strange way. She seemed to be fighting the urge to look at Rose, but never did. Scorpius had sent sweet smiles at Rose that just made her feel worse. Brent hadn't shown up for classes at all. Gossip had spread through the school, and there was a rumor that Brent had tried to drown himself in the lake. Rose found herself wishing everything could just go back to normal.

During lunch hour, Scorpius sat down next to Rose and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "Rose," he said, smiling. "For once, I'm really happy to see you."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I guess I'm happy to see you too..."

"I'm hurt," Scorpius pouted dramatically. "My own girlfriend doesn't love me?"

Girlfriend. For some reason the word felt alien, so strange coming from this boy she'd hated forever. And had he said love? "Ummm... what?"

"Don't you love me?" Scorpius had a light, teasing tone, but the deeper note in his voice said he was dead serious.

Rose considered the question. Certainly, she liked Scorpius. But love, that was too much. They'd shared one kiss yesterday, and now they were talking about love?

Scorpius still had his gaze fixed on Rose. He was obviously waiting for an answer.

Rose settled on the truth. "No, Scorpius. I don't love you."

Scorpius blinked.

"Don't get me wrong, I like you a lot. But we've... I don't... I don't know you, Scorpius."

"Yes, you do, Rose."

Rose shook her head. "No. I don't. I don't want to rush into anything, Scorpius. I don't want to ruin anything we might have by saying things too fast."

"We won't ruin anything," Scorpius said, sounding a little far away. "I promise."

"How many other girls have you made promises to?" Rose's voice jumped an octave. "I know you cheated on Lily."

Scorpius looked directly at Rose, his eyes pleading. "I did. I admit it. But I didn't like her, not the way I like you. You're special, Rose. It's one of the things I like most about you. You're original, different from the rest."

Rose felt like she should have melted at his words, jumped into his arms. It was the perfect speech, the perfect moment. She completely believed him. "But you know what, Scorpius? I'm too different. Too different from you. We could never be together."

"We're perfect for each other. How can you not see that?"

"You know what I do, Scorpius? I hurt people. They get close to me. I destroy them, tear them apart. Look at Lily, look at Brent! I can't let you get close. I can't let that happen to you."

"Rose!" Scorpius growled. The sound was clear and terrifying. "I won't let you throw me away because you're scared, dammit!"

"I can't hurt you that way, Scorpius! I can't have a relationship with you that I know isn't going to work! I said it before, we're too different!"

Scorpius looked defeated. "That's all, then? You're breaking up with me." His voice lacked any emotion. "It's only been a day, Rose. You're doing this all too fast."

"It's the only way you won't get hurt."

The boy sighed. "You're stubborn. You need to learn to trust people."

"Scorpius..." Rose looked straight at him. "Please do this for me. Just leave me alone."

Scorpius slammed his hand down on the table. "Maybe we are too different, Rose. Maybe you're right. But at least I'm willing to take a chance. At least I'm not afraid." He stalked off, turning away before Rose could see the single tear that slid rapidly down his face.


	17. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Disclaimer: No, I really do not own Harry Potter.

**AAAAAH! 2nd to last chapter. Meaning... the end is near. Read and review and most importantly, enjoy.**

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Rose found herself alone in the hallway, emotions raging. After several minutes of blank stares at the wall in front of her, she trudged into the dormitories, seeing nothing.

She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, waking up early the next morning by someone yelling her name.

"Rose!"

She looked up and saw Amanda Whitesfield, a studious fourth year girl, standing in front of her, hands on her hips.

Rose mumbled something that sounded like "Muhgenwugen."

"Rose, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Amanda was practically bouncing up and down on her feet. "I heard you broke up with Scorpius. I know it's not my place, but... why?"

"Gawaytrid." Rose shut her eyes.

"It's morning. Time to wake up, you'll have a big day today."

Rose groggily opened her eyes. "Seepinitbetatanbugday."

"I'll be waiting in the common room when you get up."

The redhead said something incoherently before falling asleep again.

* * *

When Rose finally extracted herself from the dormitories, it was already noon. She entered into the common room and found Amanda studying from a Transfiguration book.

"Morning, Rose," Amanda smiled. "Would you like to talk?"

Rose grimaced. "It's really quite a long story, and I mean, I'd love to tell it, but... who am I kidding? I really don't want to tell it." Seeing the girl's cheery face falter, she quickly added, "I'm really sorry, it's just not the right time."

"I understand," Amanda said, still looking glum. "I just wanted you to know that I'm here, you know? Because as much as I hate getting involved in gossip, I heard about this and I knew you'd need a friend. Someone to talk to."

Sighing, Rose slumped into a chair and nodded. "You're right. I have to tell it to someone. But I'm just not sure if I can tell you. It's complicated, I think I need someone older to talk to. A friend. I'm sorry."

"No offense, Rose, but right now, I'm the only friend you've got."

Rose tried to smile. "I know, Amanda. I just don't know..."

"Trust me, Rose."

Rose cradled her head in her hands. "Why should I?" Her voice sounded small, almost trapped.

"Because you really need an intervention if you want to fix things. You need my help."

Rose began to cry. "I don't think I can fix things."

"Yes you can, Rose. Now start talking."

* * *

Amanda was a great listener. She silently took it all in as Rose poured out the story, stopping every now and then to pose a question or hand the crying girl a tissue.

"Now, don't hate me for bringing this up," Amanda smiled sheepishly. "But how are you planning to work things out with Lily and Brent?"

"I don't know," Rose hiccuped. "What should I do?"

Amanda patted the shaking girl on the back. "You're going to have to figure it out by yourself, and fast."

"Why fast?"

"Because you're going to see them at Hogsmeade today, obviously." She gestured to a sign on the common room bulletin board.

Rose felt the panic return. "What will I say? What am I supposed to do?"

"You'll find something to say. Just make sure you apologize and if worst comes to worst, buy them some candy." Amanda smiled grimly.

Rose nodded. "I can do that. When's Hogsmeade?"

Amanda glanced up at the large grandfather clock sitting near the fire. "In about 20 minutes."

"Merlin! And I look like a big slobbery mess."

Amanda shook her head. "No. You look like a very tired, very beautiful big slobbery mess."

"And how is that better?"

"It isn't," admitted Amanda. "But we can make it better. Let's try to fix your hair and makeup."

Amanda was absolutely terrible at fixing hair or makeup, it turned out. Rose realized she was missing Lily, with all her makeup skills and tips. Finally they found a look that at least masked the puffiness of Rose's tearstained face.

"Alright, Rose," Amanda sighed. "Good luck. You can do it."

"Aren't you coming too?" Rose's voice jumped an octave.

"Potions homework. I can't." She held out a small pack of tissues. "Take this as well. I have a feeling you'll need it."

Rose accepted this, only scowling a little, and hugged the other Ravenclaw girl, thanking her for all her listening.

"I'll be here when you get back."

Rose nodded before stepping out the door.

* * *

**Yes. It's almost done! Next I'm starting a story about... well, I don't know. I have all these ideas but I can't figure out what to use. Do you have any suggestions? The next story I write is going to be back in my normal writing style; much longer chapters and more descriptions, probably in first person point of view. I had to try writing this way for a writing class, and I don't like it too much. Anyway, if you have any ideas for stories, I'll most happily consider them. Thanks bunches. :)**

PS- see you soon for the next chapter!


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